Physiological and ecological implications of rehabilitation and reintroduction of woolly monkeys (Genus lagothrix) in Colombia

Illegal trade and habitat lost are the main issues for primate conservation in many tropical countries. Rehabilitation, and reintroduction programs for captive primates are potential conservation strategies. However, there is a lack of information on how species respond to different captive conditions and translocations. Woolly monkeys (Lagothrix), represent one of the most widely distributed genera in the Neotropics. However, they face many threats and wild populations are decreasing, leading an important number of individuals in captive centers where are usually exposed to incipient conditions and poor diets, associated to high mortality rates. Therefore, to identify tools that contribute to the conservation and the restoration of the ecological functions performed by primates, especially by Colombian woolly monkeys; in this study different approaches were used to identify variables favoring the success of primate's relocations. In the first chapter, I reviewed primate releases worldwide to identify the variables associated to the success the programs. In the second chapter, I evaluated the factors determining the abundance of woolly monkeys, and established a potential criterion of habitat suitability based on the minimum value of fruit productivity necessary to maintain a population of reintroduced primates. The third chapter, was a hormonal approach of the stress response of woolly monkeys during a reintroduction processes. Chapter fourth, evaluated factors determining the initial success of a reintroduction program of woolly monkeys in Colombia. The complementary material included a characterization of the communities of gastrointestinal parasites in captivity and wild, as well as the parasitic change during the reintroduction. Finally, to elucidate ecological effects associated to a potential establishment of the released population, the initial seed dispersal patterns by the reintroduced woolly monkeys is presented.

• Autores: Ramírez García, Mónica Alejandra
• Tipo de recurso: Doctoral thesis
• Fecha de publicación: 2020
• Institución: Universidad de los Andes
• Repositorio: Séneca: repositorio Uniandes
• Idioma: eng
• OAI Identifier: oai:repositorio.uniandes.edu.co:1992/51043
• Acceso en línea: http://hdl.handle.net/1992/51043
• Palabra clave: Monos churucos; Conservación de especies; Rehabilitación de fauna silvestre; Biología
• Rights: openAccess
• License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/